Christmas Is Coming!

During December I have been keeping myself busy by working on the 2014 Advent Challenge organised by the fab Faye Brown.

I have been determined to complete all 25 and thought I would share some of my favourites here. Together I think they make a really strong story.

I have also set up a Pinterest board to showcase work by other designers taking part. There are some amazing designs to see. So get in the festive mood and have a browse!

Christmas Maker's Market.

It's that time of year again when us Artists and Craftspeople go all out to sell our wares and promote a "handmade" Christmas. For a number of reasons I have only signed up to do one fair, a Maker's Market at The Minories in Colchester. I sell my work in the gallery shop and it has a lovely, contemporary vibe to it. Here are some photos of my stall complete with new units to sell from!

I spent a long time creating some new pieces to sell, both my original illustrated jewellery and some needle felted wares, and I was so pleased with how the market went. It was spread over two days and I made lots of lovely sales. Many people may get a SlumberMonkey original on the big day!

Winter Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the big Winter blog hop! I am thrilled to be taking part alongside other ABSPD alumni. Hopefully you have just come from the wonderful Joanne Cocker                        (http://jojococo-design.com/wordpress/) and seen her fab work. If not click on her name to explore now!

I thought that in this post I would show you the development of my Christmas card designs, from drawings to finished products. I began thinking of themes a few months ago because I wanted to make sure that my cards would be ready in good time. Woodland animals are a huge love of mine and I decided to concentrate on using my illustrative work to create my festive designs. Here you can see my early sketches and ideas.

I then began to add colour and other details, layering some patterns and adding wintery textures. Here I tried out darker grounds for my curled fox. I was trying to create a feel of frostiness and snow.

In the end I decided on my three designs, a fox, a hare and a badger. I also used my own typography, adding simple hand drawn greetings to enhance the overall look.

Here are each of the designs showing a little more detail. You can see that I decided on a lighter colour scheme for my curled fox.

Finally the designs were ready to be printed and for this I used Printed.com who I have found to be quick and reliable. I am extremely pleased with the results. They are exactly how I hoped and imagined they would be. I have achieved the look I was aiming for, but what do you think? I would love your opinions!

They are now for sale in my Etsy store! https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Slumbermonkey

Now it's time to hop on over to Petra Hoffman at http://perunoto.com/category/blog/

Some Good News!

This week I was really happy to find out I had been chosen as runner-up in a fabric design competition!  Back in May, Sewing World Magazine asked for designs based upon the theme of sewing. This sounded right up my street so I decided to enter. This competition was being judged by a panel and not based on popularity votes so I thought it sounded ideal. You can imagine how thrilled I was when I found out I was runner-up. My prize is to have my fabric printed by Woven Monkey. I was also pleased that the winner (Suzanne Washington) and another runner-up (Wendy Flynn) are design friends of mine. Anyway, here is the magazine article showing my design.

And here is my original design which was based around The "New Look" of the early 1950s

The Make It In Design Summer School.

I love keeping a design challenge going so when I saw the free Summer School advertised over on the Make It In Design website I couldn't wait. I signed up for two tracks, the Intermediate and the Advanced (there is also a Beginner's track) and eagerly awaited my first brief. In all there have been three briefs with two weeks in between to design and submit. Here I reflect on what I have achieved.

Brief 1
I was very impressed by the amount of work that had gone into producing the background information related to each brief. There were trend reports, inspiration, colour suggestions and mock-ups to use. Instructions were clear and encouraged an individual response. The first challenge for both tracks was interesting and I was able to develop ideas that I was really pleased with. Below you can see a peek of my ideas.

Brief 2 
I loved these briefs as soon as they pinged into my inbox. They enabled me to really have fun and experiment with lots of different ideas. Below you can see some designs that evolved from the starting points given. It was great because it was a change from the first set of patterns I produced. I was also able to post in the very supportive closed Facebook group attached to the Summer School. A great way to engage with fellow designers.

Brief 3
This is where I am now, designing for Brief 3! Again these have been great and I am enjoying them enormously! Submission date is Thursday. For each brief there has been a submission date which is great practice for designing to deadlines. Designs from all designers have then been published via an online gallery. It is fabulous to see the amazingly diverse work from everyone. Here is a sneak peek of my last challenge! Because this Summer has been more of a staycation for me it has been really useful to keep the creativity going and be challenged. I'll definitely sign up next year!

Happiness Is...Gifted Too!

For the past few weeks, along with some lovely, talented designers, I have been taking inspiration from the Tigerprint Gifted Challenge. Although not eligible to take part officially (you have to be a recent graduate/ undergraduate) we all loved the idea of being given a theme a day to work to. This week (week 4 of the challenge) I have taken the reigns from Annette Kirstine Designs to blog about our ideas.

Both designs this week focus on the theme "Happiness Is..." The first one is by the fantastic Faye Brown who has created a simply scrumptious photograph!

 

I adore the arrangement here and the pops of colour. The typography also works brilliantly. In fact it all makes your mouth water! I think this would make great wrapping paper or would work really well on stationery. 

Faye is doing a fantastic "Summer of Design" project over on her blog (FayeBrownDesigns) which is aimed at getting children creative over the Summer. She has some great ideas for activities for all ages (adults too) whatever the weather. This weeks brief is all about photographing the alphabet and sounds really exciting! http://www.fayebrowndesigns.blogspot.co.uk/

I decided to also look at "Happiness Is..." but from a slightly different angle. I have recently been drawing lots of whimsical, imaginary landscapes, buildings and plants so I decided to use this style to create a homage to the great outdoors. I've just enjoyed a couple of days out where it was just amazing to sit back and enjoy the countryside in this fantastic weather. So my happiness is...

I hope that has got you thinking and given you some ideas. If you had the theme "Happiness is..." what would you be inspired by?

Decades of Inspiration

I recently found a really great bargain book on Art Deco fashion which got me wondering about which design decades I am really inspired by.  In the design world certain looks often creep in and out of vogue but I tend to just go with what really speaks to me. I've written before about my love of mid-century pattern and I find that this influence creeps into a lot of my work, but for this post I wanted to explore other eras that spark my creativity.

Art Deco is a style that was influential from the 1920s through to the 1930s. It gained inspiration from a range of different sources with designers seeking to embrace a new modern style that coincided with developments in travel (cars, aeroplanes), exploration and archaeology, theatre, dance, sport and avant-garde art. Patterns used stylised motifs and strong geometric shapes and lines. These are some fave images that really sum up Art Deco for me. I love the bright pops of colour alongside the bold lines.

One of my favourite artists worked during this time and was hugely influential in surface pattern. I love the work of Sonia Delaunay, an artist who used her designs on an eclectic range of items. I came across her when I was at university and found her really inspiring. She applied the same techniques as her painting to creating textiles and sought to express the dynamism of the age through her work. I love how she conveys freedom of movement in her pieces and her use of colour is fantastic. I feel these are just as fresh now as they were in the 20s and 30s.

 I hope you find these snippets of Art Deco interesting and it inspires you to find out more about Sonia Delaunay- you will not be disappointed! Which decades inspire you? I'd love to know!

Triumphs and Tribulations.

Again it's been ages since I published a blog post. I have been busy finishing up Module 4 of the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design (see previous post). It has been really full on trying to submit to all the live briefs and I put an a great deal of effort to make sure I did my best.

So why is this post called "Triumphs and Tribulations"? Well it sums up my life as a designer at the moment. I've had some really good moves forward and then times where I have been rejected and dejected. It really is hard to find a balance between the two and yesterday I spent a lot of time pondering this range of emotions.

Module 4 has really helped me hone my style and be confident in my viewpoint and with this in mind I tackled one of Spoonflower's weekly contests, "Terrariums". I was thrilled when I placed third with this. I really felt that my design was putting all that I had learned into practice. My design, "Contained Cacti", has become my most popular design!

So a triumph for me which I was really proud of. Then the self doubt creeps in again. There has been some feedback from my live brief submissions and unfortunately none of my work has been singled out. I'm really pleased for those that have been highlighted and the community is so supportive but you can't help but be a little bit deflated. From high to low and back again. That's the life a designer I suppose. Does anyone have good strategies for staying positive? For me I think it's looking towards the next challenge and just keep drawing, designing and making...

Back to the classroom! Module 4 of ABSPD.

I have been a bit quiet on here lately because I have been undertaking Module 4 of the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design- Building Your Professional Portfolio. This is a brand new course and I just had to sign up for it straight away. Over the last year my development as a designer has gone hand in hand with taking each of the ABSPD modules. When I heard that Module 4 was being introduced I could not resist! I know this is such a cliche, but I really have been on a complete journey of discovery and I don't want to stop. This time last year I was unwell, off work and struggling to make sense of my life. Today I write this post excited, enthused and completely immersed in the world of Surface Pattern, full of anticipation as to what could lay ahead.

Module 4 has certainly been keeping me busy! It is really heavy with fantastic content.The course has been divided up into sections that logically follow the process of making your portfolio professional and industry ready.  I have spent lots of time drawing, spurred on by exercises that challenged me to broaden my subject matter. This is a design based on the letters of my name!

Also invaluable has been the wealth of "masterclasses" by people already successful in industry. They have provided me with insights and skills that will have a lasting impression on how I design, create and present my work. There have been classes with technical content as well as ones on colour, typography, repeats (the list goes on!)

Most exciting of all however are the live briefs from renowned companies. These are really forcing me to change and develop as a designer and move me out of my comfort zone. It is really thrilling to be able to work to a deadline and know that your work will be seen and that you will get feedback. The briefs have been really diverse and challenging. I can't share anything just yet but I'm really excited about what I've achieved so far.

I'm still in the middle of the course so I will keep you all updated. It's been intense so far but really enjoyable. The support has been amazing and you always feel that there is help if you need it. In my view, Rachael Taylor and her team have certainly pulled out all the stops to create a course that is enjoyable, professional, innovative and inspiring.

Fox Frenzy!

Recently I have been paying attention to my Etsy store and adding some new shrink plastic jewellery. I have fallen in love with this process and it gives me such a thrill seeing my drawings turned into jewellery. I have talked about this before but I thought I would revisit it.

Shrink plastic is a fantastic process! I start every piece by drawing first with my fine-liners markers. Here is my little owl illustration which I thought would be ideal for jewellery.

When I am happy I scan the image into my computer and then it is printed onto an A4 sheet of special plastic. Next I cut it out before placing into an oven. The plastic is then baked at a very high temperature for only two minutes. During this process the design shrinks to approximately 40% of its size. Once removed from the oven it hardens quickly as it cools. The piece can then be finished, hand coloured and then varnished or sealed. The shrink plastic that I use has a slightly textured surface which I like as it is quite tactile.



When I have a few pieces ready I start to turn them into jewellery. I have made lots of brooches, rings and necklaces but this week decided to try out earrings and key rings. I used my foxy illustrations as these have proved very popular. I now have lots of foxy items but quite frankly (I feel) you can never have enough fox themed pieces! Anyway here is a peek at what they turned out like.

...and my owl drawing? I turned him into a brooch!

Feel free to visit my Etsy store or leave a comment below!

Paperlove Blog Hop

The PaperLove Blog Hop is a celebration of all things paper! Follow the links to discover more bloggers who love paper and use it to inspire and delight. And if you want to explore a whole world of paper, and stretch your paper passion further with a host of creative projects, why not join the innovative new online course PaperLove (starts March 31). Led by book artist Rachel Hazell, PaperLove is a five week creative adventure for paper lovers. Find out more here.
  
Hi there and welcome to Slumbermonkey Designs (alias Lindsay Buck).  Hopefully you have just arrived from  Giova Brusa to see more papery goodness...
 
 I LOVE PAPER! There;  I have made my declaration and said out loud what I have thought and felt about this wonderful thing ever since I was a small child. I always had paper with me; as a sketchbook, in scraps or sheets and even as unwound lolly sticks that provided a perfect small square of white loveliness to draw on. As I got older I used paper in lots of different ways, always trying out new ideas and techniques. One of my most recent passions is cyanotype printing and now that the weather is getting a bit sunnier and the days longer I am feeling the lure again!

What is Cyanotype?

Cyanotype (sometimes called blue print)  is a photographic process discovered in 1842 by the English scientist and astronomer Sir John Herschel. However it was Anna Atkins (regarded as the first female photographer) who really brought the process to life. She documented plants by placing specimens on specially coated paper and exposing them to the sun, thus creating incredibly detailed images like the one below.

My Work

Inspired after reading about Anna Atkins I decided to investigate how easy it was to try for myself. I actually found that all you need are the two chemicals ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide (which I bought from an online craft store) paper and bright sunlight! For my prints I decided to use some found graph paper. It had quite an old fashioned feel to it, slightly yellowed but with a clear and interesting structure. I experimented with lots of different things and these are some of the results.

For the top one I created a very ordered feel by using some of my collection of buttons in a grid system. The bottom one is based upon a photograph of a gate that I took. I made a negative by printing onto acetate in black and white and exposed it to the sun in the same way.

Some of the smaller pieces I used to make cards and hand embellished aspects of my prints. As you can see I have used recycled card. I love the slightly rough texture and unfinished feel of this type of card and paper.

What do you think of my cyanotypes? I would welcome any comments and if you are interested in my work do get in touch (links to the right!)

Thank you for stopping by to look and I hope you will hop on to the next on the list for more paper appreciation via Beka Buckley.




Majo Bautista /  Tona Bell/ Louise Best / Cathy Bluteau / Jennifer Bomgardner / Giova Brusa / Lindsay Buck / Beka Buckley / Joanna Caskie / Jonathan Chapman (Mr Yen) / Halle Cisco / Sarah Clare / Cathryn Clarge / Dawn Clarkson / Rhiannon Connelly / Jenny D'Fuego / Molly Dhiman / Ian Dudley / Ayisatu Emore / Akmal Farid / Monika Forsberg / Claire Fritz-Domeney / Louise Gale / Chrissy Gaskell / Julie Hamilton / Emma Hawman / Rachel Hazell / Holly Helgeson / Claudine Hellmuth / Kim Henkel / Sarah Hoffman / Joanne Hus / Paula Joerling / Beth Kempton / Julie Kirk / Eos Koch / Katie LaClair / Kristy Lankford / Michelle Manolov / Doreen Marts / Rosie Martinez-Dekker / Tori Mears / Maria Mederios / Lise Meijer / Debbie Miller / MaryJane Mitchell / Suzy Naidoo / Grace Noel / Hannah Nunn / Camilla Olsson / Jo Packham / Rachelle Panagarry / Monette Pangan / Melanie Paul / Nicole Piar / Jen Pitta / Liz Plummer / Julie Reed / Michelle Reynolds / Lisa Rivas / Angee Robertson / Natalie Ryan / Aisling Ryan / Elisabet Sapena / Kyrrha Sevco / Jamie Sprague / Elizabeth Steele / Terri Stephens / Juniper Stokes / Mary Tanana / Maike Thoma / Linda Tieu / Gabrielle Treanor / Tammy Tutterow / Deborah Velasquez / Jordan Vinograd Kim / Cat Whipple / Brooke Witt / Katie Wood / Amelia Woodbridge